


Shout It From the Rooftops

by MadSophHatter



Series: Saving Some For Home [3]
Category: Pride (2014)
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M, argument, laughing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 01:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3190649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadSophHatter/pseuds/MadSophHatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Mike and Mark are a couple, these good news must be delivered to their friends in a suitable way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shout It From the Rooftops

**Author's Note:**

> to all the fans of Ray and Reggie: I love them. They're amazing. I just thought Mark and Mike would go for some healthy competition. ^_^
> 
> Disclaimer: The characters in this fic don't belong to me. They are based on the characters seen in the film Pride and have nothing to do with actual people.

They spent most of Sunday in bed – cuddling and kissing and talking about the things that had happened while Mark had been gone. In the early evening Mike finally got out of bed and out of the flat to buy some groceries so he could make dinner for them.

As Mike cut some vegetables, Mark hovered at the kitchen door and filled the flat with idle chatter. Mike hadn’t even noticed how much he’d missed this. Just Mark’s presence in his life was enough to make his day a lot brighter. Still, he noticed that while he didn’t keep quiet, Mark never really mentioned what he’d done during his time away. Mike would have to ask about that later on.

“So how are we gonna break the news to the others?”

Mike had zoned out for a moment and simply enjoyed the flow of his boyfriend’s voice. Now he was a bit flustered.

“What news?”

Mark gave him a look that said, “Are you fucking kidding me?” while what he actually said was, “You and me being together, love. I thought, you noticed.”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Mike quipped before closing the distance between them and pressing a coy kiss on Mark’s lips. 

“Great,” Mark grinned, “I thought we should make that official. Bromley told me last night that he and Steph have moved into a bigger flat. I think they’ll have a party to celebrate that next weekend. Wouldn’t that be a great occasion to tell the others that we’re a couple?”

Mike took a step back. The look on his face gave Mark pause.

“What? Do you think it’s rude to announce that at their party? I just thought it’s a good way to have everyone know at once. Should we have our own party?”

Mike could clearly see that his boyfriend was about to get carried away by a string of ideas one more ludicrous than the other.

“Wait, wait, wait”, he interrupted, “Why do we have to make a big announcement? Do we have to tell them at all?” For someone who had been so reluctant to get into this relationship in the first place, Mark was far too eager to shout it from the rooftops now for Mike’s taste.

“Why? Don’t you want to tell them? Do you want to keep it a secret?” Mark’s eyebrows were raised his mouth was pouting. Shit, he looked really hurt. Time to back paddle.

“No! Of course I don’t want to keep it a secret. I just think we shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. They’ll notice anyway. Do we have to make an announcement?” Mark had stopped listening at some point and looked even more hurt and angry than before.

“Make a big deal out of it? Isn’t it a big deal, Mike? Isn’t it? It is for me!” With that he stormed off.

“Mark!” Mike dropped the knife, which slipped from the counter to the floor with a clinking sound.

When Mike ran into the one room of his flat, he was relieved and surprised to see Mark standing in front of the door. He looked like he was struggling to decide what to do next.

“Are you alright?”, Mike asked, testing the waters. Mark nodded, and then snorted.

“I was about to leave when I remembered what a prick I am.” He was rubbing his face as he said it, never looking at Mike.

“Were you gonna come back?” Mike was proud because the pain wasn’t audible in his voice. At leas to his own ears he’d sounded completely neutral and rational. Would this be his role from now on? Would he have to be the grown-up in this relationship – the one who didn’t get mad, had patience and waited for the other one to come around? 

“Of course I was going to come back.” Now Mark looked at Mike very sincerely. “I promise you I’ll never run away from you again. Not like that. I just wanted to walk it off.”

“Since when does Mark Ashton even consider running away in the face of problems?” Mike was relieved but not ready to let it show yet so he went for snarky instead.

“Well probably since he’s in completely new scary territory. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve no clue how relationships work. What am I supposed to do when I’m mad at you? And why don’t you want to tell the others? Is this really no big deal to you?” The hurt was back on Mark’s face and Mike couldn’t remain mad at him when he looked like that. It didn’t really feel fair but what could he do?

He sat down on the couch and patted the empty spot next to him. Mark sat down there. He turned a bit so that he could look at Mike and so that their legs were touching – a peace offering. It made Mike go still for a moment. He wondered if and when that habit would fade and he’d be able to simply enjoy these casual touches without having a bad conscience or fearing to be found out.

“It is a big deal to me – the biggest in fact. I’ve been waiting to be with you for an eternity. “

“Then why don’t you want to tell the others?”

“Because that’s not who I am. Telling it to everyone at once would make me feel uncomfortable. I’ve no problem with people finding out. But it’s enough for me that you and I know. I don’t have to shout it from the rooftops to make it feel real.” The moment Mike said it the realisation hit him like a flowerpot in the head. 

“Well, I do”, Mark replied.

They just looked at each other for a while until Mark started to fidget. He wasn’t good with prolonged periods of silence. 

“So what are we going to do then?” He asked. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. But I also want to make it feel real.”

Mike shrugged. “Maybe Zoe and Stella are right. Maybe a compromise is how we get things done.”

Mark nodded enthusiastically. Obviously that was something he could work with. “What if we tell each of them separately rather than in one big announcement? Would that be acceptable?” Mike nodded and was rewarded with a brilliant smile. “So it’s settled then.”

Mike pulled Mark closer, rubbing his cheek against that of his boyfriend. Maybe both of them had this grown-up thing down better than he’d thought. “Let’s go back to the kitchen. I’m starving.”

***

The first people to find out about Mike and Mark being together were Gethin and Jonathan. Mark had spent most of Monday afternoon in the book shop, finding out what was going on in London at the moment. In the evening Mike came over to meet up with Mark and then accompany him to work. Like this they would have at least some time together. 

The plan had been to tell Gethin and let him pass the news on to Jonathan. That wasn’t how it actually turned out though. When Mike entered the bookshop, Mark noticed him at once, turned around and gave him that brilliant smile that always made Mike feel weak in the knees. From that second onward there was no thinking involved – Mike’s body moved of its own accord. It moved towards Mark, pulled him into a hug and pressed a kiss to those gorgeous lips. 

Mike’s mind only re-entered his body when he heard cheering coming from behind the counter. He hadn’t even noticed that Jonathan was in the shop too. The older man was still applauding as Mike gave him a pointed look. 

“What?”, Jonathan said, “As entertaining as it was to watch you dance, it was about time this play had a happy ending.” Gethin nudged his boyfriend with his elbow, saying his name like a parent reprimanding a child would. He couldn’t hide the grin on his own face though. 

When Mike realised the shop was actually empty apart from the four of them, relieve kicked in and his adrenaline level went down a bit. It would take some time for his blush to dissipate though. One look at Mark showed flushed cheeks and a wide grin. Mike felt a bit guilty for being embarrassed while Mark just looked like he’d just won the lottery.

By now Gethin had come out from behind the counter and laid his arms around both their shoulders, saying “I’m really happy for you.” He even offered them to come upstairs and have some wine to celebrate. They had to decline though since Mark had to get to work.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, love”, Mark said as he sat down on the pannier rack of Mike’s bike.

“Shut up and hold on tight”, Mike replied as he started to pedal. Both of them were giggling like ten-year-olds as they cruised through London’s darkening streets

***

On Tuesday Mike had the afternoon off and was supposed to help Steph and Bromley paint their new flat. Since he had nothing else to do Mark decided to join them. It was also a great opportunity to let the two of them know about their relationship. Mark spent the whole ten-minute tube ride there trying to come up with a speech that did justice to his love for Mike. 

As they walked up the stairs from the station he wondered if he was too presumptuous and selfish. Maybe Mike wanted to be the one to tell them. 

So he asked when they were just outside the door of the flat, “Do you want to tell them about us?”

“And take away the thing you’ve been looking forward to since we left my flat? Do I look like a madman?” Mike laughed at the notion, and Mark was a bit annoyed that he’d been so obvious.

“I’d let you tell them”, he insisted.

“But I don’t want to. I want you to tell them.” Mike had started giggling now, happy about a private joke Mark didn’t quite get.

“Why?”, he asked, impatience colouring his voice.

“Because it’ll make you look like a three-year-old in a toyshop and I’d love to see that.” Mark’s eyes went wide with more or less mock-disbelief and -embarrassment as Mike’s giggling got louder. Mark slapped his boyfriend’s shoulder lightly. But now he was laughing as well.

“Shut up!”, he managed in between two fits of giggles.

“Make me!” Mike’s grin only grew wider.

Mark did as he was told the best way he knew how to. He pressed his lips on Mike’s shutting him up most effectively. At that exact moment the door to the flat was opened right in front of them.

“Oh”, that was Bromley’s voice. Both Mark and Mike screwed their eyes shut as they were hit by another fit of laughter. Of course it hadn’t worked out as it should have but it had worked anyway. Maybe that should become the motto of their relationship.

By the time they had calmed down Steph was standing in the door frame next to Bromley and looked them up and down. “So you’re officially a couple of idiots now? About time if you ask me.” And apparently that was all the acknowledgement she’d give them since she’d already turned around and went on talking over her shoulder, “Come in, grab a paintbrush and get to work. Mark, I’ve quite the colour for you. The living room’s gonna be red.” With that she was out of sight - hidden in the flat somewhere.

Bromley was still standing there looking like a deer caught in the headlight. It took him some time to realise that he was actually blocking their way. As he moved aside he murmured something that sounded like “Congratulations.” and Mark gave him a brilliant smile and a pat on the shoulder as he passed him.

An hour later or so Jeff arrived to help as well. As he entered the living room asking, “So, what’s new?”, Joe just pointed their way and blurted out, “They’re a couple.”

Jeff just looked at him with one raised eyebrow and said, “And now tell me something new.” Steph laughed out loud while Bromley, Mark and Mike stared at Jeff in confusion. “Oh come on!”, he said, “You’ve been acting like an old married couple forever. But I’m really happy for you that you decided to finally consummate that marriage. All that sexual tension must’ve been stressful.”

Steph was almost doubling over with laughter. Even Mark couldn’t help but snicker a bit. It seemed like they’d really been that obvious all along. Both Joe and Mike were looking a bit out of it but none of the others paid that any mind. 

After they were finished painting, they had beer and a few more laughs.

***

Mike was on the phone with Reggie while Mark was reading. Since he couldn’t really concentrate on the poetry Gethin had given him, Mark was actually listening in on Mike. But he hoped he was being subtle about it.

“So you were actually alright after that big fight?”, Mike asked, “Good to know. You really had me a bit worried there.” He was scratching his head, obviously unsure how to get to the point of this talk. Mark was inwardly urging him to be done with the niceties already.

“Yeah, yeah, we had a talk. That’s actually part of the reason I’m calling.” There was a short pause. “No, Mark didn’t say anything about you.” Reggie talked for a good five minutes as Mike’s eyebrows were coming closer and ever closer together. Mark’s curiosity was almost physically painful at that point but he couldn’t look up too often to guess anything from Mike’s face. 

“You see, we can discuss that in detail when I see you around the next time. That’s why I’m actually calling.” Mark was inwardly cheering because Mike was using his no-nonsense tone that was very likely to keep Reggie from butting in again. “I was thinking, maybe, if you and Ray have time, we could meet up sometime next week. We could go on a double date.” Mark could only imagine the confusion going on on the other end of that conversation but judging from the silent glee on Mike’s face it was hilarious.

“Yeah, I have a boyfriend now. It’s Mark. I’m with Mark now.” That came out a bit rushed but at least Mike’s voice had been steady. It was followed by a moment of profound silence that could be heard and felt without the receiver. Mark tried to imagine Reggie’s somewhat dumbfounded expression as he was probably going through all the things he’d said about Mark not five minutes prior. It must have been bad otherwise that silence wouldn’t have lasted that long.

Mike finally took pity on him and asked, “Would you be up for that? We’re free on Tuesday and Wednesday night. For any other day it’d have to be the afternoon. I’d leave it to you to decide what you want to do. We’d just like to see you.” Then he nodded a few times. “Of course you can call me back when you’re sure if you can make it. It’s fine. Have a nice day. Bye”

As Mike put the receiver back in place, Mark was looking at his book with such a single-minded focus that the pages should have caught fire.

“You can stop pretending you’re actually reading French poetry”, Mike drawled as he flopped down on the floor in front of his boyfriend. Mark gave him an innocent look over the edge of the pages. 

Mike chuckled, shaking his head. “Right, who needs subtlety when you can just use your puppy eyes when you’re caught in the act and get away with pretty much anything?” Mark put a mock-insulted face on at that infamous insinuation. This only made Mike laugh harder. This in turn made it near impossible for Mark to keep the corners of his mouth from wandering up as well.

“Not subtle at all! You only could’ve been more obvious if you’d held the book upside down.” With that the snatched the book out of Mark’s hand and threw it somewhere over his shoulder. Both of them were laughing now and Mark was already slightly out of breath.

To get to more serious matters he asked, “So how bad was it? How much of a tit am I according to Reggie?” That was a very effective way to put an end to Mike’s good mood if his expression was anything to go by.

“It wasn’t that bad really. He might have said you’ve been stringing me along. But I think he’s just trying to look out for me. And also he’s still a bit cross with you for leaving like that. Nothing a nice talk can’t resolve.” Mike said it calmly, but he looked away directly afterwards and started chewing on his bottom lip. Maybe neither of them could win an award for subtlety.

“Come on! What else did he say? I swear I won’t get mad. He’s got every right to be cross with me.” Mark knew he was lying and Mike probably knew as well. But he was infamous for his curiosity thus Mike chose the path of least resistance by simply telling him.

“He tried to encourage me in the decision to get my arse away from you completely. That’s why he mentioned that it wouldn’t have worked out between us anyway because you’re not the type for a steady relationship.”

Of course those were the same excuses Mark had used only a few days earlier. Still, it hurt to have them thrown right back at him in such a blunt way. His attempt at hiding that pain failed spectacularly, prompting Mike to get up and sit down next to Mark on the bed. He put his arms around his boyfriend and rested his head on Mark’s shoulder.

“I didn’t believe that bullshit when you said it, and I don’t believe it now. You know that, right?” The steadiness of Mike’s voice in his ear and the solidity of Mike’s body against his made him believe those words easily. As he nodded, Mike added, “We’ll make it work.”

After they’d sat like that for a while Mark sounded rather cheery as he announced, “That means I have to be on my best boyfriend behaviour when we go on that double date. We’ll show them. We’ve got couple skills.”

Mike buried his face in Mark’s shoulder, laughing hysterically again. When he’d finally caught his breath, he replied, “Mark, it’s not a competition!”

“Well, of course it isn’t”, Mark said sounding completely serious, “But you have to admit that we’re totally a cuter couple than Reggie and Ray.” The fact that Mark managed to keep a straight face while saying that send Mike right back into bouts of laughter.

“Mark!” But he didn’t stop looking at Mike with the utmost sincerity. Mark didn’t know how, but he managed to keep it up for almost a minute. Then Mike finally gave in, “Okay, okay. You’re totally right. We’re a cuter couple than Reggie and Ray. Should we put it to a vote?”

“Nah, I don’t have to shout it from the rooftops. I’m happy with just you and me knowing.” That did it for Mike. He fell back on the bed and pulled Mark with him. Both of them were laughing together like two twelve-year-olds who’d played the cleverest prank of their lifetime. 

***

By Saturday most of the people who mattered knew about them. So nobody was really surprised when they danced together or when Mike just stood behind Mark, holding him close while one or both of them were taking part in a conversation. It felt nice to show their relationship off like this and Mike wondered if Mark had been right from the start. 

He was intensely aware of the freedom he had to touch Mark without having to expect a negative outcome. It didn’t matter if he wanted to brush his fingers against Mark’s as he passed him in the hall or if he wanted to pull him into a quiet corner and kiss him until his lips were dark pink and swollen or if he wanted to grind their hips together while cupping Mark’s fine arse with his hands as they danced. Mike did all of it that evening simply because he could and each act felt exhilarating in exactly the same way.

Still, there were stretches of the evening when he found himself without Mark by his side. During one of these occasions when he was standing alone, just absorbing the atmosphere, he was approached by Stella and Zoe. 

“Hi! How are you?”, Stella asked while Zoe gave him a long hug.

“Hey! I’m fine. Nice to see you two. How are you?”, he asked back. Mike was slightly taken aback by Stella’s business-like demeanour. She kept her distance and the look on her face was stern. Mike had seen that look on her face before and he had to admit it scared him a bit when directed at him. She looked like a woman on a mission.

Zoe on the other hand was as friendly and bubbly as ever, patting his arm reassuringly while answering his question. “Oh, we’re fine. We’re having fun. I really like Steph’s new flat.” 

Her chatter was cut short by Stella. “So, it looks like you’re with Mark now. When did that happen?” It sounded like he was being interrogated and that made him bristle with indignation. 

Zoe rushed in to soften her girlfriend’s words, “First of all, congratulations! It’s just that last week after the march you seemed to be angry at him. At least you two weren’t talking. So we were just wondering what has happened in the meantime.” Mike still felt a bit uncomfortable telling Stella, but Zoe had made such an effort and he genuinely wanted to talk to her.

“We talked. Last weekend after the party we had a serious talk and ended up getting together.”

“It was about time”, Zoe said and Mike couldn’t help but grin at that. Why was it that sometimes your feelings were like your nose – everyone else can see it easily in your face, but you have to squint and to even get a glimpse of it?

“And how is it working out between you two?”, Stella asked, sounding marginally less like a professional interrogator.

Mike sighed. “Listen, we’re actually good together. He’s been nothing but sweet to me for the last week. And I know that means next to nothing, but I’d still like to enjoy it while it lasts. So calm your tits.” That was more than he had intended to say. But since it was out already he decided to own the statement by giving Stella a stern look.

She looked taken aback but tried to placate him, “Sorry, I didn’t want to put you off. It’s just that Mark can be overbearing and ignorant towards others’ feelings sometimes. I just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

Mike was about to contradict her when Zoe stepped in once again, saying, “Stella, I thought we talked about this. He’s a grown man. I think you can trust him to know what he wants.” Her girlfriend was already taking a breath to reply but Zoe just placed a slim finger on Stella’s lips. Then she said to Mike, “We just want you to know that we’ve got your back. If you two should have any trouble, feel free to call or just come over. We’ll be there to listen.” She gave him a smile so sincere it made him feel warm and protected. 

He returned it in kind. “Thank you.”

“Just don’t let him push you around!”, Stella said before Zoe simply turned her around and gave her a gentle push that made her walk away in the direction she was now facing. The irony of the situation put a huge grin on Mike’s face.

Zoe’s expression was a mirror image of it as she said, “Oh yeah, one last thing, you two make such a cute couple.” Then she turned around and gently led Stella away. Mike laughed inwardly and resolved that that was the only part of this conversation he should tell Mark about. 

On their way home from the bus stop Mike was holding Mark’s hand even though his boyfriend was wildly gesticulating. He always did that when he was drunk. That Mike’s hand in his own didn’t stop him was quite adorable.

“Did she really say we’re a cute couple?”

“Yep”, Mike nodded enthusiastically. Due to the alcohol he’d had earlier the world started spinning a bit.

“See?”, Mark said, “We’re already amazing at the couple thing. Maybe we should work on the sexual tension next.” Mark’s drunken laugh sounded too loud in Mike’s ears. Perhaps that was the alcohol too – perhaps it was the fact that they’d almost reached the flat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> This part was supposed to be a short cute intermezzo, but somewhere it got away from me and turned into something else completely. I'm still quite happy with it and hope you're too.
> 
> Please let me know if you liked it and if you'de like me to continue the series.
> 
> If you see any blatant mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them.
> 
> If you want any more Pride headcanons and drabbles you could follow me on tumblr (it would make me very happy). There I'm lilbasthet.


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